


In Due Course

by Shiverslightly



Series: Sheith Tumblr Prompts [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossing Timelines, Established Relationship, Future, Light Angst, Love, M/M, Pining Keith (Voltron), Prophetic Visions, Season/Series 06, Sexual Content, Time Skips, Tumblr Prompt, in the future at least
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-29 20:08:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15080765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shiverslightly/pseuds/Shiverslightly
Summary: I'm takingSheith prompts on Tumblrafter all those post season six feels.@rellanka suggested:Spoilers: Keith and Krolia (or just Keith alone) gets flashes of him being in a happy, committed relationship with Shiro in the future? Or anything with Krolia and the wolf trying to get Keith and Shiro together. Thanks!





	In Due Course

A vision flashes behind closed eyes. Keith’s younger self, small and alone. Hands clenched in fists as he stands in front of his father's grave. He'd only been ten at the time and Keith curls against the rush of grief clenching his heart.

The time skips are still unpredictable. Somehow he thought they'd fall into a pattern the closer they got. Krolia should be keeping guard but he hopes against hope that she didn't see. They haven't talked about it because she hasn't asked. But the choked sob at the front of the cave hangs heavy with both their sorrow. He buries his face beneath an arm, the wolf at his back the only warmth to be found.

They've been gone for months though his mom insists that time here is different. That what feels like months to them could only be seconds to the others, but he has his doubts.

Visions of the past are becoming less frequent as a future he fears keeps popping up. Dark space, purple lights. Harsh, terrifying words from Shiro and a clash of swords that can't be right, haunts him. There's no way it's real. No way it will come to pass. The Shiro he knows would never hurt him and _he_ could _never_ hurt Shiro. So he hunches in as tight as he can and tries to ignore the tiny, heartbroken sounds that reach his ears. A score to his own twisting dread.

 

* * *

 

It's about eight months in when the first solid flash of the future hits. This one isn't as jittery as the others, doesn't glitch and fade in a tangled mess. But it shakes him all the same.

He sees himself peering through the glass of a ship. Vast dark galaxy a backdrop to the shattered, long broken husk of a planet looming before him. His hair is longer, pulled into a bun too low to keep the shorter stands of his bangs from his face. He's older, worn a little. A scar against his cheek and strange armour protecting his body. His eyes are narrowed, sad. A look of weary exhaustion sunken into his features.

“There you are,” a deep familiar voice echoes from the hallway before Shiro appears, different as well.

His hair is white. Not grey in age, but drained of colour from something altering, traumatic. Confident as ever he walks to Keith, a startlingly new prosthetic completing his right arm. Gone is the cold black and silver Galra tech, replaced by something sleek and Altean. Clean and white with glowing blue lines reminiscent of the castle ship edging it’s joints.

But that's not what surprises Keith most.

It's the way Shiro doesn't stop beside him, instead sliding behind, both arms, flesh and new, wrapping around Keith’s waist in comfortable intimacy that strikes him through the chest. It's how he watches his tense face instantly melt at the contact, eyes falling shut and fingers tracing along Shiro’s forearms. He leans back, tall enough that he can rest against a broad chest and tilt to place a lingering, featherlight kiss against the junction of Shiro’s jaw without rising to his toes.

Shiro hums, the tug of a smile on his lips as Keith turns in his arms, hands gliding slowly up Shiro’s back and pressing in. They hold each others gaze with soft reverence and _something else_ that pulls in Keith’s gut. The adoration, the quiet desire expanding between them, felt all the way from his place across the room.

Just as this strange version of himself start to lean in, eyelashes fluttering and lips sweetly pursed, the light of the stars pulse and grow until a blinding flash overtakes him, quickly fading and leaving him trembling. His shallow breaths rattle in his throat and his heart beats a frantic pace that won't slow down.

_What was that?_

He presses his palms against his eyes, silently trying to keep it together when he’s anything but. The image of Shiro holding him close stays behind even after he opens his eyes. He tries to blink it away and can't understand why his hands won't stop shaking.

Could it even be real? It's so far from any glimpse of the future they've seen before. So vastly different.

A movement catches his eye, snapping up to find Krolia watching him intently. She doesn't look worried or even surprised. She looks calm, thoughtful. Keith has to turn and pretend to busy himself, hoping to hide the heat he knows hasn't left his face.

 

* * *

 

The flashes keep coming but they're never as coherent. They're fragments and snippets of time. Keith piloting the black lion, strategy planning with Kolivan, Voltron landing on Earth, and fighting. Lots of fighting.

Keith wishes he knew what they meant. Wishes he could put together a timeline. Then he could plan, use these insights to his advantage but as they are he's lost. Are these things even guaranteed to happen?

So he starts to get antsy. The time spent on this creature slowly dragging through the Quantum Abyss. He can't help but feel like be should be doing more. Like they're wasting their time just waiting here. But the lost boy still within him is soothed by everyday he spends with Krolia.

It's more than he ever allowed himself to hope for. All those years feeling unwanted, unloved, when really there’d been someone out there. Someone who lived everyday of their life fighting to keep him safe. Surprisingly she doesn't mother him like he thought she might. Doesn't baby him or treat him as inferior. Krolia sees his skills for what they are and pushes rather than shelters. It actually reminds him a lot of Shiro.

Which happens to be a regular topic between them. It's hard not to constantly talk of Shiro when the man was his mentor and so much more. When he played such an important role in his formative years. How different his life would've been without him.

Sometimes when Keith speaks about Shiro his mother gets this _look_. It's not smug, per se, but there's definitely something indulgent about it. Some secret quirk of the lips that Keith tries not to read into.

They're hiding out during a storm, rain pelting heavily outside when a flash similar to lightning cracks the sky. So Keith doesn't immediately get it when he suddenly finds himself in the room of a house, two figures huddled on the couch a few feet away. It's not until he hears himself speak when his mouth doesn't move that he understands.

“Do you think the storm will pass soon?”

The lights in the room are off but candles are lit, rain similar to what he was just in can be heard against the windows. Shiro sits back against the cushions, Keith's future self resting a head on his shoulder.

Turning his eyes towards Keith, a small chuckle escapes Shiro. “Are you scared?”

Keith snorts, “I haven't been afraid of storms since I was like five.”

It's just then that a fleeting brightness illuminates the room, followed by a booming crack that's far closer than anything else that evening. Like a crashing comet that shakes the entire house.

They both jump, Keith’s hands twisting reflexively into Shiro’s shirt, so tight they leave stretched, warped peaks in the fabric when he lets go. Above him Shiro laughs, the arm around his shoulder squeezing tighter.

“You were saying?”

“Shut up,” Keith mumbles into the chest he's buried his face in.

“Aww, hey.” Shiro tries to coax him out. “I'm just kidding.”

But Keith doesn't budge, only pushes his face in farther and grasps onto Shiro’s hip. Shiro’s smart though, gently running his fingers down the side of Keith’s neck until he’s softening, untucking his chin to stare up at Shiro, more pout than glare.

“C’mon don't be like that,” Shiro teases, smile stretching across his face that only makes Keith pout harder.

Something glints in Shiro’s eye and suddenly his smile turns more devious. A look that doesn't go unnoticed by Keith.

“Shiro,” he warns, tone sharp.

“What?”

Leaning in closer, smile still dangerous, Shiro’s hand starts to creep across his body, sliding to Keith’s thigh and moving inward. Keith tries to pull back but Shiro’s other arm is still tight across his back.

“Shiro,” Keith tries again, “don't.”

But it's too late. That hand drops to the inside of his knee and digs in a merciless tickle that has Keith desperately trying to squirm away as helpless giggles escape his lips.

And god when, if ever, has Keith laughed like that?

It's high and pure, unrestrained. Only gets louder as Shiro’s hand moves up under his thigh.

“Stop!” he squawks, throwing feeble elbows.

It's seems like forever before Shiro finally eases up. Keith's face bright red as he gasps for air. He's fallen back against the couch, almost lying flat, Shiro hovering over him with the same naughty smirk.

“Yo-you bast-ard.” Keith attempts to glare but it's even worse than before. Significantly lessened as his chest continues to heave.

“Maybe,” Shiro concedes, “but you love me.”

Weakly Keith tries to shake his head but Shiro’s smile only widens.

“Yeah you do.”

Lightning strikes just as Shiro nuzzles against Keith’s nose, Keith’s hand rising to rub a circle into the arm that pins him to the couch.

When Keith comes back to himself the room is gone but the warmth that’s quietly settled deep in his bones feels like it's there to stay.

 

* * *

 

Keith and his wolf are hunting for food. They don't really need more right now but Krolia had tried breaching an incredibly uncomfortable topic - again - and he just needs some space.

The time skips are starting to feel more palpable. Keith and Shiro leading Voltron together, holding hands on the bridge of a ship, returning to Earth, buying a house, growing old. A whole, complete picture of domestic bliss.

Keith and Shiro. Shiro and Keith.

Krolia wants to talk about it but he just _can’t_. The visions, this whole future has turned into something he wants so bad that he doesn't know how he'll survive without it. But there's still flashes of pain, of a fight and maybe worse yet and it just doesn't make sense. How could all of these things exist together?

The flare of light rises over the horizon and Keith almost wishes they'd stop at this point. He hangs his head against the rush that's sure to follow.

As soon as it comes it's gone, darkness all around him. Except for a few rays of light peeking through the slats of blinds. Soft, hazy bands striping the room. He's not sure how but Keith knows it the same house as before. It’s walls permeated in the same quiet ease and restful peace.

Which is what he thinks he’s seeing until the mound on the bed comes into focus. Something shifting beneath the blanket. He's titling his head in confusion when a small, breathy sigh reaches him.

“ _Shiro_.”

Keith instantly flushes. Hot and cold dousing his body in a dizzying rush. A groan drifts across the room just as the blanket gets pushed aside by pale searching hands.

Shiro's shoulders are thrown into relief, his bangs sheltering his face and hovering over dark hair in movements that can't be mistaken. Not with the soft _ahs_ that leave the pillow. Hands grip into chiseled muscle, claws digging in and scraping, a moan slipping past Shiro’s lips when he tosses his head back.

In a sudden shift, a leg from underneath Shiro’s body slides up, locking onto his waist and using the leverage to flip them both. Keith's bare torso rising up and shining in the moonlight, a hungry look of victory sweeping across his features before he swivels back and down, barely losing pace.

Even from here, Keith can see that Shiro is beautiful. His white hair against the bed, the soft blush across his cheeks that highlights his scar, the way he bites his lip behind half lidded eyes. It makes him ache to be closer.

Future Keith must feel the same when he bends over Shiro, swooping in to steal his breath. Hands smooth up his sides to bury deep into his tangled hair. Gathering sweat damp strands away from his neck. When Keith breaks for air Shiro presses his nose between Keith’s collarbones, slowly dragging the tip up his throat to nip against tender skin, he groans.

“Baby.”

A shiver runs through both Keith’s.

The Keith on top of Shiro picks up his movements, arching his back against the strong arms that hold him in. 

“Shiro,” he breathes again, whimpering when Shiro bites down a little harder.

Keith feels his toes curling and blood pooling low from where he stands. Panting almost as hard as the version of himself that's working Shiro over in increasingly desperate rolls of his hips.

Shiro’s head falls back on the pillow and his eyes close as one words falls repeatedly from him.

The tiny cries that fill the room are carnal and intimate. Keith would almost feel guilty about the intrusion if he wasn't currently losing all common sense.

In bed Keith throws his head back, a shout of, “Shiro,” followed by, “oh god, Shiro, I - I…”

“ _Keith_ ,” Shiro gasps, sweat glistening off his brow.

They both convulse together, a sound Keith knows for certain has never left him tears from his throat. Shiro’s own noises not much better off. But then the sound turns deeper, darker. An anguished scream splitting through the suddenly empty void of space. Keith and Shiro are still there but their positions have switched.

Now Shiro’s eyes are crazed, glowing a violent purple as he tries to force his sword down on Keith’s neck. The only thing stopping him, Keith’s Marmora dagger and his fading strength.

The change in scenes is so drastic, so disorienting that Keith drops to his knees to steady himself. Heart beat still thumping wildly in his chest but for a very different reason now. He watches himself grind his teeth and sees how hard he's trying to hold Shiro off but he knows it's not enough.

He's going to die.

His heart pounds harder.

He's going to die and _Shiro_ is going to kill him.

Frantically he looks from side to side, searching for some way to help himself but his hands slip through everything. As if he's living it in real life his mind flashes through all the things he's seen so far. All the futures he'll never have because this is where it ends.

The smell of burning flesh reaches his nostrils as Shiro throws his full weight on top of him. The water in his eyes from more than just physical pain.

And in that moment all he wants is for Shiro to know how much he loves him.

‘I love you,’ he thinks as he closes his eyes.

_I love you_

_I love you_

_I love you_

 

* * *

 

Krolia finds him still on his knees. Shivering hard with tears threatening to spill down his face. Wordlessly she drops beside him, folding him into her warmth, arms protectively around his back. She holds him until his shaking stops and his breath is back under control. When he meets her eyes his lower lip still trembles.

“What can I do?”

She doesn't answer at first, just smooths her hand across his back. “It'll be alright.”

“How can you say that? Didn't you see?”

“Yes, I did. I saw all of it,” she cups his face with both hands. “Keith, _all_ of it is your future.”

He shakes his head, trying to pull away. “How? How can everything we've seen actually happen?”

“I don't know how, but I _know_ that it will. There's so much more than what we've seen.”

“How can you know?” he pleads with her, his anguish and all his fears there on display.

She fixes her steady eyes to him, no doubt, not an ounce of apprehension in them.

“He loves you.”

The pain that bursts through the centre of his being causes him to gasp, flinching away with his whole body.

“He does,” she insists. “Keith, he loves you.”

Tears fall freely, the memory of Shiro’s kind eyes, the ghosting touch of his hands, the ache that Keith feels from being apart for so long, swells and grows until there's nothing but want and love and need and _Shiro_.

It's the last clear glimpse of the future he's given before they make it to the remote planet within the abyss. Where they find Romelle and the last remaining Alteans, used and suffering at the hands of Lotor. When he finally sees Shiro again there's no time to grab hold like every cell in his body demands that he does.

When Shiro betrays the team and escapes with Lotor, Keith knows that something is horribly wrong. But nothing can stop him from chasing after, even when logic tells him to turn back.

And when the future he’d feared most starts to take shape, when he's faced with a Shiro possessed, intent on destroying, Keith doesn't let up. Feels in his heart and in his soul, deep within the fibres of himself that this is where he's meant to be, that this is where he'll stand and fight. For Shiro. For them.

As they fall to their deaths amidst the station’s wreckage, the light of a star dawning across Shiro’s unconscious face, it's not the future that never will be that flashes behind his eyes. It's the past. How Shiro found him. How Shiro saved him.

How Shiro shaped with tender patience and led a boy, who’d almost given up, back to faithful courage. When Keith opens his eyes it's not regret that he feels.

It's love.

**Author's Note:**

> [Fic on Tumblr](https://shiverslightly.tumblr.com/post/175349934512/sheith-prompt-2-in-due-course)
> 
> If you have a suggestion [send me a prompt](https://shiverslightly.tumblr.com/post/175148465582/sheith-prompts)!


End file.
